Weld overlay materials may be macrocomposites which may be developed by starting with hard particles which may include carbides (i.e. WC, VC, Cr3C2, Cr23C6, TiC, HfC, etc.), borides (TiB2, ZrB2, etc.), borocarbides (M(BC)2, M(BC)3, M23(BC)6, etc.), nitrides (i.e. BN, TiN, AlN, etc.), and/or other specific hard phases like diamond, etc. which may be incorporated at various volume fractions (i.e typically 15 to 90 at % hard particle) to an appropriate binder which may be nickel (or nickel alloy) based, cobalt (or cobalt alloy) based, or iron (or iron alloy) based. The binder may provide a matrix to hold the hard particles by wetting its surface sufficiently so that it is captured while not completely dissolving. The binder may also provide a measure of toughness/crack resistance to enable the composite to perform adequately in service.